Decoded: Why Birds Form a V
to Fly
By IndiaTimes | January 17, 2014, 4:24 pm
IST
LONDON: Birds fly in a
distinctive V formation to arrange themselves in
"aerodynamically
optimum positions" while precisely timing the
flapping of their wings, scientists have found.
Flying in a V formation helps each bird take advantage of "good air" (upwash) thrown
up by the wings of the flyer in front while avoiding detrimental 'bad air' (downwash), according
to researchers from the University
of London's Royal Veterinary College.
They found that birds
also flap their wings at just the right time so as maximize an updraft and
minimize a downdraft.
These aerodynamic
accomplishments were previously not thought possible for birds
because of the complex flight dynamics and sensory feedback that would be
required to perform such a feat, researchers said.
"The distinctive V-formation of bird flocks has long intrigued researchers and continues to attract both scientific and popular attention, however a definitive account of the aerodynamic implications of these formations has remained elusive until now," said Steven Portugal, lead researcher at the Royal Veterinary College.
The intricate
mechanisms involved in V formation flight indicate remarkable awareness and
ability of birds to respond
to the wingpath of nearby flock-mates.
"Birds in V formation seem to have developed complex phasing strategies to cope
with the dynamic wakes produced by
flapping wings," Portugal said.
Researchers studied a free-flying flock of
northern bald ibises as they
flew alongside a microlight
on their migration route from Austria to Italy.
Note: "What a piece of work is a man! How noble in
reason, how infinite in faculty! In
form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The
beauty of the world. The
paragon of animals." (Hamlet, Act II, Scene
2.)
Really? It seems utterly natural and logical to me (without needing to press the "infinite in faculty" standard into service) that birds would have a pretty
good idea how to devise optimal
flight patterns for themselves. The contrary view, which
seems to have been disproven, is stupid,
coarse, vain and human, all too human. Lazy self-satisfaction is so ugly.
With pleasure, let's all recall and recite John
Cage's words about birds both as statement of fact and aspiration that we humans finally evolve in our understanding and compassion:
"We are as free as
birds. Only the birds aren’t free. We are as committed as birds and
identically."
